The direct-to-consumer (D2C) furniture space has some stand-out players in the Indian market, including Wakefit and Sleepyhead. But Mumbai-based Torque has maintained a low profile in the five years of its existence. The company offers fully customisable such as sofas, beds, mattresses, dining tables, etc to customers through its website as well as ecommerce platforms like Flipkart Perfect Homes and Amazon.
It is also working on expanding to Pepperfry and Urban Ladder. Founded by Sagar Shah in 2019, Torque has factories in Bengaluru and Lucknow as well. The products are priced in the range of Rs 24,000 to Rs 25,000.
Currently, the sofas and recliners are made in-house, and executive chairs are sourced from vendors. Shah says Torque is seeing maximum traction from Bengaluru, Pune, Noida, Hyderabad, and Gurugram—areas which have the presence of IT companies. The startup’s customer base has increased from approximately 750 in 2021 to over 20,000 in 2024, he adds.
Putting the pieces together A mechanical engineering graduate, Shah initially wanted to start a nuts-and-bolts business and name the company Torque. However, after graduation, he joined a furniture company. Later, when he wanted to start his own furniture business, he was bound by an agreement with the previous company.
Hence, he started a toy business by the name Torque, and a year later, he launched his furniture business with the same name. “I joined hands with a few local vendors. I would get orders from Amazo.